Disclaimer: I do not own any of the "In a Heartbeat" characters featured in this story. No profit is being made.

Author's Note: I'm so sorry it's taken me this long to write the next chapter, but I've really been focusing on "Witness," which I think I am losing many readers and may discontinue. But maybe not cuz it's almost done. Anyway, I don't know how long this is going to turn out, but onward readers!

Chapter 2: "Dirty"

Val was too stunned to cry, or whine, or scream the whole time she was in that mean man's car going somewhere. She just sat there, regretting the fact that she had run away all because she was jealous of Baby Brooke. She was so ashamed of herself.

Finally, the car came to a stop in front of a tiny, battered house. The man opened the door and went around the passenger side. He opened that door, and grabbed Val's puny arm and pulled her out of the car. It hurt so much.

He then took her inside the house, and down into the basement. He took a pair of handcuffs from his pocket and put one of them on Val's hand and the other on a pole.

"I'm going to go get dinner. If I hear one peep out of you then…" he made a slashing noise as he brought his finger across his neck menacingly. "Understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good." He went up the stairs. Val curled up into a ball on the basement floor and cried herself to sleep.

Two Weeks Later…

Val smelled garbage. The smell almost gagged her. She couldn't stand the smell of herself. She hadn't had a bath in two weeks, and the man only let her come upstairs to go to the bathroom twice a day. He brought down measly food for her twice a day also. Val had lost ten pounds since she came here. She lifted her head up from her knees as she heard the door going down to the basement open. The man appeared, and went to go undo her handcuffs, when he had a good whiff of her. "Weeewweeee! Don't you smell! You're getting a bath."

He led her upstairs, peeled off her disgusting clothes and put them in the washing machine. He then filled up the bathtub and made her wash her hair and body by herself. He rushed to go get the clothes from the dryer when the bell went off, and rushed back and gave them to Val. He said that she could stay upstairs for a little while and have breakfast and watch TV with him, but only if she didn't talk. She agreed readily, and he brought her into the kitchen and gave her a bowl of cereal. He turned the TV onto Channel 7 and the Today show flashed across the screen. Val watched in horror as her sobbing mother, crying father, and scared Baby Brooke came on the screen, pleading for information about their lost daughter whose picture was shown. He couldn't get, "Wow, you're parents are really worried about you, kid," before Val screamed at the top of her lungs, "MOMMY! DADDY!"

He exploded and grabbed Val by the shoulders, and went down the hall to his bedroom where he threw her on the bed. She began to cry uncontrollably as he peeled the newly clean clothes from her tiny body. She began to scream and kick, and he pulled out a knife and aimed it at her maniacally to make her stop. She allowed her body calm out of fear of what he might do. He began to unbutton his pants, and what he did next was enough to traumatize Val for the rest of her life…

That's how Val lived for a year and a half. Having a bath only two times a month, never getting new clothes. She had lost sixty pounds since the time when she arrived in this horrid place. You'd think she'd have learned her lesson, but every time she saw herself featured on America's Missing Children shows or Have you seen me? Postcards, Val would run into hysterics and the man would torture her and harass her the same way every time.

A year and a half after he brought the little girl to his place, he thought that the neighbors were beginning to become nosy and suspect something. He knew it was no longer safe here. He decided to move to another state, but he couldn't take Little Val with him. That was too risky. Although he loved her in his own perverted way, he knew he'd have to drop her off somewhere where she'd be found almost immediately, but without him being caught. He knew that she knew his name, had heard it at least once or twice when he slipped and talked to himself, and that could be trouble. He just knew that he'd have to threaten her some way that she'd never forget. And he did in the most disgusting way possible.

He dragged Val, now six years old into his old, beat-up station wagon that night, and drove to the school nearest the place where he'd found her. He pushed her out of the car and pushed the accelerator until he was out of sight completely.

Val, suddenly more alone than ever, went into a corner by the playground and curled into a ball until someone tapping her awakened her. She looked up and shielded her eyes from the blaring sun. The person immediately recognized who she was from the numerous television programs and flyers she'd been on, and rushed to give the poor little girl a hug. When she became only a few inches from the girl, the little girl cowered and shook to her touch. Poor thing, she thought just before she picked up the frail little girl and brought her inside to where she phoned the police, hospital, and Little Val's parents.

~ So people, what do you think? I know it's awfully short, but whatever. PLEASE REVIEW! ~